Which to use
“competir” and “completar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,585
- “competir” frequency rank
- #4,586
- “completar” frequency rank
- 9171
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | competir | completar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dicho de un ser animado, esforzarse por lograr una cierta ventaja o premio contra otros rivales. | Hacer que algo llegue hasta su plena realización, que quede cabalmente terminado. |
Where the eye mixes competir and completar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. competir runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against completar's 9 (CVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between competir and completar
A purely visual mix-up. competir ([kõmpeˈt̪iɾ]) and completar ([kõmpleˈt̪aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9171, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
competir is recorded at frequency rank #4,585, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmpeˈt̪iɾ]. completar is at rank #4,586, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmpleˈt̪aɾ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 9171, this pair ranks #302,741 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of competir vs completar
Shared letters: cemoprt. Private to "competir": i. Private to "completar": al.
"competir" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "completar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "competir" for "completar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "competir" or "completar"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "competir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "completar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #302,741 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "competir" and "completar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "completar vs comportar". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #302,741 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.